Method of preventing wear of the moving parts of an automotive internal-combustion engine



July 27 1926. 1,594,334

E. J. SWEETLAND METHOD OF PREVENTING WEAR OF THE MOVING PARTS OF AN AUTOMOTIVE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan. 10. 1922 77%, ML film rib/ Patented July 27, 1926. 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST J. SWEETLAND, F HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF PREVENTING WEAR OF THE MOVLNG PARTS OF AN AUTOMOTIVE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed January 10, 1922. Serial No. 528,354.

The resent invention is a continuation in it becomes only necessary to add oil to com- 80 part oi an application heretofore filed by pensate for any diminution thereof that me on the 3d day of July, 1920, bearing takes lace through use.

Serial No. 393,80 In t e accompanying drawings, forming The method forming the subject-matter part of this specification,

of my present application comprehends the Figure 1 is a side elevation of an internal l5 preservation of moving parts of automotive combustion engine showing the application internal combustion engines by preventing of one form of apparatus by means of which wear due to the abrasive action of delete my new method may be practiced;

rious substances usually formed in or car- Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal secried by the lubricating oil. This is actional view of the filter or separating device 60 complished by maintaining at all timesa film used, the assembly shown in Figure 1; and

of clean clear lubricating oil between such Figure is a fragmentary sectional view moving parts, which in turn can be only acof a modified formof filter or separating complished by separating from the lubricant i n all such deleterious matter, including finely I will now proceed to describe a pref- 05 divided particles of carbon and other matter erable construction of apparatus which I which discolor the oil and are abrasive in have found satisfactory for'the carrying out character and which cause wearing of the of my method of maintaining a, substanmovin parts This separation is accomtially clear lubricant in the lubricating SyS- plishe .by continuously circulating the lutem of an engine. 70 bricant through-a specially constructed filter ferring to the drawings, 1 represents bed which is capable of arresting and 'sepaan internal combustion engine of any suitrating this forei matter from the oil as able type having a crank case'2, which conit is passed un er (pressure therethrough. tains the oil for lubricating the coacting he process is carrie on continuously durmoving parts of the engine, either'by the 7 ing the operation .of the engine, and the splash system or by the forced feed sysseparation therefore is as a consequence subtern, as the case may be. Mounted upon the stantiall coincident with and at the same engine, or upon the vehicle frame, is a pump rate as the formation or creation of the for- .3, of any approved type, provided with an eign matter due to combustion or other intake pipe 4, extending within the crank causes; In this manner, the lubricant in case 2 and having its open end positioned the lubricating system of the engine is mainadjacent the bottom of the crank case, preftained free and clear of all abrasive materably within a de ression 5 formed in the ter which if forced to the bearings would bottom wall thereoi. The pump is provided destroy the character of the oil film and with an outflow pipe 6 leading to a filter cause wear and deterioration of those 7 from which the filtered oil is conducted parts. to the crank case by a pipe 8.

In rsumz-By maintaining a clear lu- The filter 7 which may be of any suitable bric'ant in the lubricating system of an enconstruction is shown for purposes of illusgine, frequent changing of the oil is avoided, tration as comprising a casing 9 rovided since the lubricating value or life of with a removable cover 10 provided with a the oil is materially prolonged, the bearings threaded opening 11, adapted to receive the are maintained in a highly eflicient condithreaded end of the pipe 6, and with a pastion due to absence of wear, (and as a consage 12 adapted to communicate with the sequence it is not necessary to take up such pipe 8 connected to the cover in any suit hearings to compensate for wear which able manner, as by a coupling 13 screwed would other-wise be present); and finally 9, upon the end of the pipe 8 and upon a conservation of lubricating oil is efi'ected as nipple 14 formed on the cover. The filter is preferably carried by the engine, being secured in position by means of straps 15, as shown in Figure 1. Positioned within the casing 9 and extending axially with respect thereto throughout substantially its length, is a tubular member 16 having a closed inner end and provided with perforations 17 in its wall communicating with the bore 18.. The other end of the tubular member extends through an opening 19 forme in the cover 10 and is provided with a shoulder 20 adapted to engage the inner wall of the cover. Adjacent its extreme outer end the tubular member is provided with a thread adapted to receive a nut 21 which engages the cover 10 and, together with the shoulder 20, serves to support the tubular member upon the cover. An opening 22 formed in the wall of the tubular member registers with the inner end of the passage 12 whereby the bore 18 of the tube is in communication with the pipe 8 which leads from the filter to the crank case.

Mounted u on the tubular member 16 are a plurality o annular filter elements spaced from one another by annular spacing members 23, preferably formed of felt or the like, the filter elements and spacin members being securely held in assembled position upon the tubular member by means of a nut 24 threaded upon the inner end thereof. As shown in Figure 2, each filter element consists of an annular member 25, formed of coarse wire netting, reticulated metal, or the like, enclosed by fine wire screening 26, whereby the filter elements are provide with chambers which communciate with the perforations 17 in the tubular member 16.

The exposed surfaces of the wire screening 26 of each of the filter elements are provided with a coatin 27 shown of exaggerated thickness in i1re 2, having the property of preventing t e passage therethrough of the fine particles of carbon and other foreign matter which may be suspended within the oil to be filtered, while permitting the clear filtered oil to pass therethrough. This coating consists of a slime bed formed of an in soluble substance and the impurities filtered out of the oil. The insoluble substance is preferably fiocculent in nature and one which will form a permeable bed of extremely fine texture. Such substances as kieselghur, fullers earth, charcoal, carbonate of lime, asbestos in flake or fibre form wood pulp, or any other suitable substance which will serve to combine with the suspended deleterious matter in the oil to form a slime bed will serve the purpose of forming a coating to a sustaining screen or other perforated support. A filter bed so formed is capable of arresting and resisting the passage of small carbon particles, so fine that the oil delivered from the filter is visibly clear and free from cloudiness and contains no solid particles of dby large enough size to cause abrasion or wear on the bearings.

The insoluble substance may be deposited upon the wire screening in any suitable w For example it may be mixed with a vehic e consisting o a liquid or viscous substance and the mixture applied to the screening whereby the insolublesubstance will adhere thereto, or if desired, the substance, either itself or mixed with a liquid or viscous substance, may be placed directly within the crank case or within the filter casing, and as the oil to be filtered is caused to circulate the insoluble substance will be carried thereby into engagement with the screening and deposited thereupon. Moreover, the insoluble substance may be applied to the screening either before or after its being formed into filter elements. The insoluble substance, when deposited upon the screening, serves to collect the finely divided suspended particles from the oil and to form therewith a slime bed which effectually prev sage of any suspended impurities of a size suflicient to cause abrasion of parts; but permits filtered oil.

As shownin Figure 2, a valve 28 of the t pe used in connection with automobile tires and' the like, is mounted upon the outer end of the tubular member 16 and communicates with the bore 18 by means of a passage 29. Upon connecting this valve with a suitable air pump, such as the air pump usuall carried by motor vehicles, air may be b own into the bore 18 of the tubular member 16 and through the several filter elements, in the reverse d1- rection from the flow of oil through the filter, and this air will tend to remove the slime bed from the filter elements when cleaning of the same is necessary or desirable. The air thus forced into the filter casing escapes through a suitable normally closed petcock 30 communicating with the interior of the filter casing.

During the operation of the engine, the pump 3, which may be the ordinary oil pump on the engine, will withdraw oil from the crank case 2 through the pipe 4 and force it through the pipe 6 into the casing 9 of the filter 7, and into contact with the several filter elements mounted upon the tubular member 16. The deleterious matter which may be suspended in the oil, including the extremely fine carbon particles, cannot pass through the slime bed 27 and will therefore be extracted from the oil, and the clear oil, free from all impurities, will be forced through the slime bed 27 and wire screening 26 into the chambers within the filter elements, from which it passes through the perforations 17 in the tubular member 16 into the bore 18 thereof. From the bore 18, the clear oil flows through the opening Referrin to F e 3 mm, the ainiiii-Zane 22nd e12intothe ie8whichconducts id back-to the orenlr c se 2 there is shown a y in construction 1; the ones shown modified fo of wire netting reticulated metal or the like enclosed by a closemoven h f rie 32 such as duck, canvas, chainhaving an extremely have found that such fabric without the coating will operate in a satisfactory manner. he fin y woven non-metallic fabric the system and the oil .p

of the filter having such an extensive area W1 s small com ess'makes'o very satisfactory filter for t e purpose and I have found that it serves to produce a filter bed surface, the filter device of my construction functions for a considerable period of time without necessitating filter constructed in scri has shown satisfactory r hundreds of miles of f to such an extent as to fabric may be procleaning. In fact e. the manner "ust desults after desi Al 0 h the assage of the filtered oil through he febr ic of each filter element n my method is retsrded by thesliine bed and the impurities which are collected therebi, the required flow of filtered oil throng the filter is obtained by reason of provided by the combined filtering surfaces filter elements and as the oil is under pressure, this is also true of the filter construction in Fi re 2. While I have descrifi e d my filtrate as visibl clear, it will be understood that the comp ete removal of microscopic solids from the oil is not the dosideratum of m invention, but rather the removal of so id particles of a character to cause a break in the oil films between the bearings or to cause of which differ l e commencement of the filterclaim remove the solid filter is running without beh f wire to increase its thr the 6 ed or practice! l I Ievmg thus described 'my invention, I

the lccun utie oil in the .of sn auto I 'lhe methodoi reven lation of solid particles in lubricet' tom neath the hood, on an eutomobile,

o filter surface therein of o density move the deleterious solids from the oil passing therethrough end of an .efiective area substantially in excess ofrior roetice, and correlating thesiz'e' o the lter area in said casing to th oil flow from the engi the oil content oi the letedlh e oil pump so thet the rate they opfear in the oil.

2. The me'tho of preventin the accumution of solid particles in the oil in the lubriceting system of an automotive internal combustion engine, uormolly containing a substantially constant volume of oil, which comprises providing a filter easing-jet sodieiently small size to be .corried beneath the 00 on an automobile, providing a filter herein of a density to remove deleterious solids from the oil passing that-e h and of an efiective ares suhstontie? in excess of prior notice, end correleting the size and densi I of the filter urea in said casi to the v0 ume of oil in the s stem the 0 pressure, the rate of oil flow as t rough said a stem, end the quantity of deleterious soli s to be removed, to so con trol the rate of de sition of said solid particles upon the ter surface that the oil cont nt of said lubricating system may be cirou ated through said filter under normal engine 0 oration, for o. eriod, equ valent to severa' hundreds of m es of running. before the deposition of solid particles on the filter surfece is suflioient to reduce the flow of oil therethrough, below the freucncy necessary to prevent the economictmn of deleterious solids in oil in said lubricating system.

3. in a lubricating system for on auto- 1:0

4| naee aae motive engine containing a body of oil exunder which the is used as to remove 'posed to contamination b .deleterioussolids, said deleterious s ids at a rate substantially i means to circulate thee to the parts to be equal to the rate of contaminat on of said oil 0' lubrioated, 'and to a filter casing, and a fine by said deleterious solids; j I texture filter in said casing having an area In testimon whereof I have afiixed my and capacit so eorrelated to the size of the signature to t is specification.

system an the contaminating conditions V ERNEST J. SWEETLAND.

DISCLAIMER 1,594,334.-Ernest J. Sweetland, Hazieton',' la. Mn'rnon or Pmvnnrmewmn or THE Movmq Pug/rs or-au AUTOMOTIVElNTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE. Patent dated. July 27, 1926. Disclaimer 'filed Feb. 29,1932, by the patentee, and the sole licensee Motor Improvements, 11w;

Hereby make disclaimer from claim 3 of said LetterslatentNo. 1,594,334 of any lubricating system except where the fine texture filter has anextensive area within a small compass and is adapted and-arranged toeaout thei'method set forth in the said patent substant ai'y'as andfor the purposes t erein described.

[Oflicz'al Gazette March 22, 1932.]

DISCLAIMER 1,594,334. -Ernesi J. Sur'eafland, Hazleton, Pa. METHOD OF PREVENTING WEAR OF THE MOVING PARTS or AN AUTOMOTIVE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENnmrz. Patent dated July 27, 1926. Disclaimer filed Feb. 29, 1932, by the putentee, and the sole licensee Motor Improvements, Inc.

Hereby make disclaimer from claim 3 of said Letters Patent Ne. 1,594,334 of any lubricating system except where the fine texture filter has an extensive area within a small compass and is adapted and arranged to carry out the method set forth in the said patent substantially as and for the purposes therein described.

[Oflicial Gazette March 22, 1932.] 

